Days after Donald Trump ordered the assassination of an Iranian general, sparking concern of a US war with Iran, over 60 individuals of Iranian descent, including US citizens and permanent residents, were detained, had their passports confiscated, and were interrogated about their political beliefs at the US-Canadian border.ending Rights & Dissent strongly condemns these detententions. It is flagrantly unconstitutional to subject someone to detention because of their national origin or ethnicity.

With an uptick in white supremacist violence, the House Homeland Security Committee is holding a hearing on “Confronting the Rise of Domestic Terrorism in the Homeland.” Defending Rights & Dissent recognizes the real threat white supremacist violence poses to many communities. We also have deep concerns about how law enforcement routinely abuses their counterterrorism authorities. The framework of “terrorism” has been used to criminalize some of the very same communities most at risk from white supremacist violence. When investigating nonviolent activists, law enforcement frequently cite their counterterrorism authorities. Defending Rights & Dissent shared its concerns with the committee in hopes that the hearing will address them.